Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-04-02

b With an these cold sorrows Of earth; they
shall be melted away at last before the warm
sunshine Of heaven.
While present these thoughts this morn
ing does it not seem that heaven comes very
near to us, as though our friends, whom We
thought great way of, are not in the dis
tance but close by9 You have sometime.
come down to a river at nightfall, and you
have been surprised how easily you could hear
voices across that river. You shouted over tc
the other side of the river, and they shouted
back 1t is said that, when George White
field preached in Third street, Philadelphia,
one evening time, his voice was heard clear
across to the New Jersey shore. When was
little while chaplain in the army, remem-
Der how at eventide we could easily hear the
voices of the pickets across the Potomac, just
when they were using ordinary tones. And
as we come to-day and stand by the river OF
Jordan that divides us from our friends who
are gone it seems TO me we stand on one
bank, and they stand on the other; and it is
only narrow stream, and our voices go and
their voices come. Harkl Hush hear dis
tinctly what they say: "These are they
who come out of great tribulation,
and had their robes washed and
made white in the blood of the Lamb"
Still the voice comes across the waters. and
l hear: eve hunger no more, we thirst no
more, neither shall the sun light on us, nor
any heat, for the Lamb which is in the midst
of the throne leads us to living fountains of
water, and God wipeth away all tears from
our eyes"
The brightness of this festal hour Is shad-
owed with the sorrow of sister church
whose pastor is dying, or dead. Though your
politics and your religion may have been diff
ferent, think you will all agree in say
ing that when Henay Ward Beecher goes out
Of this life it will leave a vast vacuum in
this city and in the land. For eighteen
Year, we have been friendly neighbors. Six
weeks aftta my arrival in this city as a pas
tor, in gTvfng out notice in his own church,
he went clear out of his way to give me a
most kindly welcome and to prophesy the
happiness of my ministry in this city
dedicated to the service of Almighty
God he FASTENED from his own church doors
to join in the dedicatery service, and you re-
member what words of hope He uttered on
that occasion. Autumn before last, you re-
member. he presided at the reception given
me on -C return from Europe, and
YOU remember what generous words he ut
tered then. Only two or three weeks ago he
was present on festal occasion at my house,
and his departure from life is to me persona.
bereavement. He was the friend of the slave,
the friend of the outcast, the friend of the
laboring man, the friend of the capitalist, the
friend of the friendless, the friend of all.
It would be hardly merciful for us
to pray too ardently for his de-
tention here, since physicians say that if he
remains on earth it will be with destroyed
intellect, and Henry Ward Beecher without
genius, without wit, without brilliancy, with
out geniality, and without eloquence would
be a stranger to us all. So | have two
wishes: The one that he may have peace
full departure into the good land which
God has provided for all who love Him,
where there are no tears, and there shall be
no partings, and there can be no death. And
my other wish is that upon his family and
upon his church there may come the comfort
ing, almighty grace of God So grand march
and dirge mingle to-day, gladness and grief
congratulation and deep sympathy.
sin this dark world Of sin and pain,
We only meet to part again;
But when we reach the heavenly shore
We there shall meet to part no more.
The hope that we shall see that day
Should chase our present griefs away"